Arlington County makes it easy to live without needing a car. An excellent book recently out by Chris Balish called "How to Live Well Without Owning a Car" is a great resource and an inspiring story (see recommended reading on the left frame). Mr. Balish is not a granola-eating tree hugger. In fact, he owned a $36,000 V8 SUV, which he loved and drove everywhere (listen to his story on NPR). Circumstances made it so that he had to get by without his car for a few days. A few days turned into a couple of weeks and then a month. He suddenly realized that he had $800 more in his bank account and was getting along just fine without the car. So he never bought a new one. And that was in St. Louis!--not New York City or San Francisco. Now he lives in Los Angeles. . .without a car.

What's your story? Arlington County Commuter Services would like to hear from Arlingtonians who live without a car (or perhaps families who live with just one--i.e., "car-lite"). As we continue to improve services and make Arlington easier and easier to get around car-free, we would like to highlight residents who are already experiencing the advantages of the car-free life.

Please email us with your stories and experiences. And don't worry, we won't print or publish anything without talking with you first. Maybe your story will inspire someone else to give it a try, too.-------------------------------------------Steve Offutt, Director - Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE), Transportation Projects